Stray dogs on the streets of New Delhi. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)Stray Dogs SC Verdict LIVE Updates: The Supreme Court Friday modified its August 11 order on relocation of stray dogs, directing concerned authorities to release them back to the same localities after immunisation and sterilisation. Welcoming the verdict, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said that the judgment was a “progressive step towards balancing animal welfare and public safety”.
What has the top court said? Directing municipal authorities to create dedicated feeding space for stray dogs, the top court said: “Feeding areas shall be created by civic bodies keeping in view population and concentration of stray dogs in particular municipal ward.” It also stated that feeding of stray dogs shall not be permitted on the streets.
What had the court said earlier? A two-judge bench had issued a directive on August 11 to remove all stray dogs from streets across Delhi-NCR. The apex court, then, had specifically directed that the stray dogs should not be brought back to their habitat after sterilisation.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will work “with full strength” to implement the Supreme Court's directions on stray dogs in the national capital region, Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said. “We welcome the Supreme Court's decision and will implement it 100 per cent. The MCD will work on this order with full strength,” Singh said, adding everybody wants aggressive dogs to be treated.
Expressing happiness at the Supreme Court verdict on stray dogs, Maneka Gandhi, former BJP MP and animal rights activist, Friday welcomed the order, and said there was a need for clarity on the definition of an “aggressive street dog”.
“If the root of this entire case is that people have been complaining of dog bites, I am in agreement that they were doing so. But I am also saying that this is the reason for it. So, if the verdict is that they be released back where they were picked up from, as per the (ABC) rules, this is a very scientific order and I am very happy with it,” she said.
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi welcomed the Supreme Court judgment saying that it was a “progressive step towards balancing animal welfare and public safety”. “I welcome the Supreme Court’s revised directions on stray dogs, as it marks a progressive step toward balancing animal welfare and public safety. The approach is both compassionate and rooted in scientific reasoning,” he wrote on X.
Reacting to the judgment, Gauri Maulekhi from People For Animals said: “I am very happy with the order and extremely grateful that the Supreme Court has upheld the rule of law. The feeding of dogs has been recognised by the court. Under the rules of the municipal corporation, the dogs already picked up need to be sterilised and released back.”
When the earlier verdict was out, garnering widespread backlash from different factions, former MP and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi had put out her thoughts on the matter during a podcast with The Indian Express. Click here to watch.
Reacting to the judgment, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam says, “We welcome the Supreme Court’s order regarding stray dogs. We also welcome the sentiments of people who love dogs, but stray dogs roaming on the streets often cause a lot of trouble for people... To protect people from aggressive dogs, the Supreme Court has said that such dogs should be vaccinated, sterilised and then released back...”
As the Supreme Court modified its order, Animal rights activist Prateek Yadav said: “Supreme Court order is for animal welfare. The order says the authorities need to focus on neutering and animal birth control. This is a very good decision and I am very happy with it.”
Reacting to the verdict by the Supreme Court, Alokparna Sengupta, the managing director of Humane World for Animals India, said that sterilisation and immunisation, along with community engagement, is the most sustainable and humane method.
“We are hopeful that scientific and well-reasoned criteria will be established to identify ‘aggressive dogs’ in order to ensure the order is not being misused and dogs are not being captured and confined owing to personal preferences. The true impact will depend on how dedicatedly civic authorities implement these directions, and whether infrastructure like health centres and dedicated feeding zones are equipped and managed responsibly. The path forward requires collaboration, accountability, and above all, compassion,” a statement read.
The Supreme Court, in its order, directed that “each municipal authority shall create a dedicated helpline number for reporting incidents of violation of the above directions, On such a report being received, appropriate measures shall be taken against the individuals/NGOs concerned.”
As the Supreme Court said that feeding dogs is no longer permitted on the streets, the top court also stated that “persons found feeding the dogs on the streets in contravention of the above direction shall be liable to be proceeded with against under the relevant legal framework”. “The aforesaid directions are being issued in view of the reports regarding untoward incidents caused by unregulated feeding of stray dog and to to ensure that the practise of feeding dogs on road and in public places is eliminated as this creates great difficulties for the common man walking on the streets,” the court ordered.
In the modified order, the Supreme Court has said that feeding stray dogs shall not be permitted on the streets. The court directed municipal authorities to forthwith commence an exercise for creating dedicated feeding spaces for the stray dogs in each municipal ward. “The feeding areas shall be created and identified keeping in view the population and concentration of stray dogs in a particular municipal ward.”
The Supreme Court has modified its earlier order and said that the stray dogs shall not be relocated to shelters but be vaccinated and released in the same localities. The earlier order of relocation had seen widespread backlash from various sections of the society.
Good afternoon and welcome to our Live Blog where we will be breaking down the Supreme Court's verdict on stray dogs in Delhi and cover reactions to the judgment. Follow this space for latest news and updates on the matter
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